More Info On:
MUSICAL GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
Compiled & Written by
master teacher Gloria Burnett Scott
Chapter 1. Keyboard Geography
KEYBOARD ORIENTATION (pgs. 2 - 3)
Student
level: Beginners of all ages
Number of
players: At
least four
Materials needed: None
1. Four players face the keyboard. Players one and three close their eyes and try to find a group of twins, while players two and four observe.
2. Players two and four try to find a group of twins with their eyes closed, while players one and three watch.
3. The four players—continuing to alternate between
the two pairs of players—
try to find the triplets.
4. Then the teacher asks each pair of players to find, without looking, a twin group at the high end of the keyboard, then a triplet group at the bottom of the keyboard, the middle key of the triplet group, the bottom of a twin group, and so.
5. Finally, with eves open, each student reaches for the middle key of a triplet group and slides right onto the white key A, then plays B, and so on, until all seven letters of the musical alphabet have been played.
6. Now the teacher groups the students into two relay teams facing the keyboard. Each student quickly finds and plays A and goes to the end of the line. Then each one finds and plays B, and so on. Next, at the teacher's request, the students find and play: A-B-C, then C-D-E, E-F-G, A-B-A-G, and so on. Establish in the student's mind that, in the A-B~A-G configuration, G is easily found by going one step down the musical scale rather than six steps upward.
At some point during each lesson, ask the students to close
their eyes and find A;
then without opening their eyes, find C (by feeling it
next to the bottom of the
twins); next find F (by feeling it next to the bottom
of the triplet grouping); and
so on.
Mental Gymnastics: The teacher tells the class to face
away from the piano with
their eyes closed and to mentally picture the
keyboard. He or she asks the class
to give the name of the white key that is
between the twins, then the name of the
white key that is just above the
triplet group, and so on.
1. Ask parents or other family members to quiz the student
during the week,
asking questions such as, "Which white key is just below
the bottom of a triplet
group?" The answer is "'F."'
2. Assign pupils to practice finding all the A's, B's, C's,
and so forth, on the piano keyboard.